


Dance in the moonlight

by AzureRegulus



Series: A life without the holy grail [1]
Category: Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:35:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26157394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzureRegulus/pseuds/AzureRegulus
Summary: A world where the holy grail was no more...Fuyuki, Trifas, Chaldea...Destroyed once and for all, the core of everything, the throne of heroes allowed Servants to live a second life. One of these characters being the huntress of Arcadia, living a blissful life with the man she once called her master.Let us join that man living at the side of the huntress of old.
Relationships: Achilles | Rider of Red/Penthesilea | Berserker, Atalanta | Archer of Red/Original Master, Emiya Shirou/Artoria Pendragon | Saber
Series: A life without the holy grail [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2019353
Kudos: 3





	Dance in the moonlight

What if there was a world were the holy grail was gone for good?

Destroyed forever, unable to be recreated?

The Servants released to a second life in a world they could live normally in and feel joy?

...

The Japanese style festival was fully coming along.

The streets were bustling with people wearing Kimonos.

They light of colorful lanterns illuminated the dark and the smell of various sweets was spread all across the streets.

Amidst the crowd, one man stood out.

Hair white as snow, wild like a lion’s mane styled backwards as if he ran against the wind his entire life.

Eyes the deepest blue of the oceans, normally piercing into an enemie's body, softened and taking in the beautiful sights.

Dark blue jeans, a simple black, form fitting shirt, black boots and a leather jacket with patted shoulders were all that he was wearing, aside from two accessories.

He already had the lean but powerful body of a warrior, but his jacket emphasized his already wide shoulders even more.

A necklace around his neck with a cross in the form of a dragon, embedded with a small sapphire stone…

…and a wedding ring on his left ring finger, holding an engraved arrow on one side and a blade on the other.

‘It really is buzzling today. It is no wonder she did not want to come along.’, he laughed silently. Alone he walked through the masses, smiling at the sight of the various pairs that walked hand in hand. The festival allowed for a romantic evening with a beloved.

In the far back he made out the sight of green hair sticking up.

Amused the man crossed his arms with a tilt of his head. ‘Seriously, no matter where Achilles goes, he sticks out like a sore thumb. I wonder if he has the hair from his father. I’ll have to ask her when I get home.’. When the view cleared, he could see the delicate woman with the white hair at his side, eating a toffee apple. The woman was gorgeous beyond comparison. At least for anyone other but the married man smiling from afar.

Curious golden eyes bright as the sun, hair as pristine as the moon held in a small ponytail. Being a head shorter than Achilles, seeing her hold his hand was an adorable sight to behold as his eyes were fully on her. While Achilles wore a simple black Kimono, the woman was wearing something more elegant. A stunning violet with a white flower motive.

With an amused chuckle and going into the right corner towards the main plaza, he left the pair alone. ‘And here people said it was impossible to get them together. And here Penthesilea is, even prettying herself up for a night out. How long have they been together now…half a year? Bravo, Achilles.’.

However his sneaky exit did not go unnoticed.

Taking a bite out of the sugary sweet in her hand, Penthesilea giggled. “Crio sticks out like a sore thumb.”. “No wonder. Bro looks like he is the Greek flag incarnate. At least he isn’t scowling as usual.”, the Rider chuckled softly. Yet he seemed a bit sad. “Still, seeing him walk all alone…Should we ask him to join us?”. Relieving herself of a long sigh, Penthesilea’s half open gaze dug into the Rider’s body deeper than her gauntlets ever cold. That was the feeling of a girlfriend having had enough.

“Achilles, this is a date, chaso (idiot). Do you really think Crio would want to join us and feel

like a third wheel?”.

“I-I know. But if she isn’t with him, that is a bit-“.

“He knew what he was getting into when he married her and accepted her dislike to masses of people. But it is sweet that you care for your older brother like that. He is probably just out buying swee-”.

Her eyes gazed down at her apple. “I…could have at least told him where to get those apples…Think he wanted to get some for her?”. With a small sigh to Achilles’ chuckle, he was pulled along again.

The way to the main plaza was much wider than the narrow paths. Hands in his pockets, Crio gazed around, noticing a few familiar faces. ‘Huh. I should have expected most of the Japanese Servants to be here. But it looks like it gathered all nationalities he-‘.

Fighting his urge to burst out into laughter by biting his lips, Crio turned his head away the second he noticed Artoria among the crowds with an exasperated look as her and Shirou were followed by her knights like obedient puppies. Shirou didn’t seem as much as she did, yet that nervous smile told that this was going on for a while now.

Getting time alone was hard for the king of knights.

A deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent of the toffee apples he was looking for, Crio held his stinging side. ‘No matter where, they follow her everywhere. At least aside from Mordred.’. Wiping a tear away with a refreshed look, Crio walked along, glancing briefly at the sweet goodness of a fresh apple being iced. ‘Ah, there they are. I cannot forget to get some. She is going to like them.’, he reminded himself of his woman at home.

Thinking about her warm smile when he returned home, brightening more at the taste of the sweet apples, his own lips curled up.

The closer he got to the plaza, the more he heard the beautiful melodies of a Japanese kote in tandem with flutes.

The masses were gathered around the wide round gathering spot in front of the Japanese styled castle.

People were clapping and singing along.

Curiously he tried to gaze what the spectacle was about from a far. ‘Tse. I can’t see ahead. What I'd give for an Archer's sight. Looks like I really need to squeeze myself through.’.

It was a few minutes of fighting and slithering through the masses like a snake in the grass.

Finally able to breath normally again, standing right in the front, Crio finally took in what had the masses so mesmerized.

Fans elegantly dancing in illuminated darkness…

Gentle movements, fluent as water…

In the center of attention they performed an elegant dance...

The beautiful woman underneath the lights of the moon, lanterns twinkling like the stars, yet shining brighter than any…

A woman with short platinum hair, shining underneatht he moon. A charming smile on her face, dancing in her kimono the color of cherry blossoms twirling elegantly, she resembled the fleeting petals in the wind all the more.

At her side, her dancing partner.

Long black hair held in a ponytail. Her outfit of elegant black and gold bore what gave the image of wings as she danced. Her getas were adorned by black wings, a perfect fit to her white and red fan. A small tengu mask was on top of her head.

Enraptured by the dance, watching the elegent footwork, Crio had to shake his head to gain his bearings again. With a silent smile he observed the dance of the women. ‘I never knew Souji and Ushiwaka could dance like that.’.

Souji Okita…

Ushiwakamaru…

Dear friends of his and famous legends of japan he read about.

Seeing them in battle was a terrifying sight.

Spending them with them however showed a fun side most never saw during the slaughter.

And now he saw elegance outside of their sword play in their flowing dance.

‘Never judge a book by his cover, huh?’, Crio reflected, not seeing under his closed eyelids how sky blue eyes spotted him. A small gasp, barely audible escaped him when he noticed Ushiwaka having sighted him, Souji standing behind her with her fan held high as well.

After an exchange of curious blinks both smiled brightly at him, enjoying the faint blush on his cheek as he scratched his temple. ‘So much for a small visit and then leave.’, he told himself, standing by and watching as the pair continued their dance, watching over them until the very end.

When the masses finally dispersed, Souji and Ushiwaka collapsed on the bench with a deep breath. Courteously, Crio held out drinks to both of them, gratefully grasped in their delicate hands. With half open gaze, Souji smiled up at him. “So, how long were you there?”. “Just a few seconds.”, Crio answered as he cracked open a can himself. “Was that a folk dance you two were performing?”. After a refreshed sigh, Ushiwaka answered: “Not at all. It was a something Nobunaga-dono came up with on a whim a few days prior.”. Crio again had to fight his inner burst to chuckle, this time at the sight of Souji silently taking a sip with a deep glare.

Nobunaga was known to have spontaneous flashes creativity. And when she had an idea, she would do whatever she could to make that true.

Most of the time, Souji was the victim.

“Come on, how did she get you to do it this time?”, Crio pushed Souji for an answer with a teasing grin. “…I lost a match…”.

“Oh? So you were betting over a fighting game again?”.

“She beats me every time only because of that one-hit kill move!”.

“When you play too aggressive, that is what happens.”, came the nonchalant answer.

As the pink Samurai grumbled something inaudible in Japanese, Crio turned his attention to the curious Ushiwaka. He already knew whom that curious gaze was searching for. “I know it is curious to see me alone, but large masses are not her style. She prefers the quiet a bit more.”. “Ah. She would have preferred a walk in the woods more with you?”, Ushiwaka pondered about the preferences of Crio’s wife. With a shrug of his shoulders, he answered with a smile. “That is one of the things I love about her. What are you two going to do now? Do you have another performance ready?”.

The second he asked, both Souji and Ushiwaka threw their heads up with a loud groan.

“Thankfully not…I am tired. Dancing for so long hurts my feet…”, Souji groaned up to the night sky. Crio gazed at them like a startled animal. While they stretched their sore legs and arms, Crio asked worried: “What kind of training did she put the both of you through?”. “You don’t want to know.”, Ushiwaka warned him, her head limply hanging.

“Are you both okay? Should I walk you home?”.

“No, we are fine. We just need a bit of rest. After all, it is getting late and she is waiting at home, right?”.

“…When is the festival ending?”.

“In about half an hour. So you should get those toffee apples as soon as you can.”.

It was high time he got the apples.

With a thankful smile as he went his separate way, Souji giggled behind the sleeve of her kimono, watching how Crio walked straight to towards the stand. “I can see why she likes him so much.”. “He is a gentleman.”, Ushiwaka’s sad mutter reached her ears. Souji flinched when she saw the dancing partner’s admonished look.

“You…wanted a head pat?”.

“Uhu…”.

“…Do you also see him as an older brother?”.

Away from the part of the city that was styled in ancient Japanese style, Crio walked through the streets in starlit night.

Beautiful ocean to the left, high apartment buildings to his right.

He did want to sit down and stare at the ocean for a bit, but with the toffee apples in hand, he shouldn’t dawdle around for too long.

Crio’s apartment was in the middle of the large building. Pulling out his keys, he briefly gazed at his watch. ‘Ugh. She might already be asleep. Need to be quiet. Those ears hear everything.’.

Really carefully he slid the key in, turning, and opening the door.

The apartment was relatively large and modern.

The living room and kitchen were in on giant room. Immediately upon entering, the kitchen was to his left, separated from the living room portion by a cooking isle.

In the center of the room was a large corner sofa in black leather optic, a modern, round glass table separating it from the large flatscreen TV on the other end of the room. Behind the couch was a black drawer with various accessories on top.

One being a small wooden statue of a goddess holding a bow.

Taking his shoes off and hanging his jacket up, Crio snuck inside, carefully taking a look around the dark room illuminated by the moon shining through the window to the balcony. Taking out a plate as silent as possible to not make any noise, his ears were perked up, listening to any sound of breathing. ‘Hmm…Not a sound of her…Has she gone outside as well?’, he wondered. Laying the toffee apples carefully on the glass table, his gaze was suddenly caught on the small wooden statue of the goddess. Making his way to the drawer, his hands carefully wrapped around the figure.

A smile spread on his lips.

‘Artemis, goddess of the hunt. That she did that statue by herself is incredible.’, Crio complimented the craftsmanship. ‘It was made as respect to the goddess that saved her and now it seems as if Artemis is watching over both of us.’.

Alone in his thoughts…

…he was unable to notice the predator luring in the dark.

Balletic feet silently snuck out of the darkness of the bed room to his right.

A perfect hunter, able to take her prey’s distraction to her advantage.

His wide neck was completely free as he grinned down at the statue.

A delicate hand closed in on the unsuspecting white mane.

The feel of a woman’s nails gently scratching down his neck froze Crio’s feet in place. His heart stopped beating with a shower going down his back.

At the sound the soft, amused giggle of a woman behind his back, Crio took a deep breath to relax his tense muscles. “You really are playing with fire, agapi mou (darling).”, he warned in greek with a chuckle.

But he knew that the woman behind him would do that for the rest of their lives. That giggle was obvious sign of her playful side.

“I know. However, that sight of yours is always much too amusing! You took your time. I was pondering about laying myself to rest.”, she spoke, crossing her arms behind her back. “Still, I never expected you to stand still in front of the statue I made.”.

“It is impressive what you were able to do with a piece of wood. Am I not allowed to admire it?”, he gave a small chuckle. Turning on his heel, he was face to face with the woman of his life…

Hair of the lushest green at the front framing a brilliant smile, turning a pale blond down to her waist.

The ears of a lioness ontop of her head in the color of her long mane, paired with a fitting tail behind her.

The athletic, slim body of a runner, dressed in short pants and a white shirt.

And what would always draw his ocean blue sapphires to that woman in front of him…

Eyes of emerald, polished to perfection.

And on her left ring finger, the very same ring he bore.

Leaning against the backrest of the couch, the woman greeted her husband with a warm tone.

“Welcome home, agapi mou.”.

Every time she called him that, agapi mou, my love, a word she never thought she'd speak, his heart skipped beats. His joy pulled on the corner of his lips.

“Efcharisto, Atalanta.”, Crio thanked her, exchanging smiles as their hands framed the other’s face. Her hands were small in comparison to his, delicate. One feared to break them if squeezed too much, yet that was the old huntress of Arcadia. Her own were nothing to be scoffed at if angered, yet they were so careful with the man she loved.

The woman that ran swifter than the wind, that beat Peleus in wrestling match, the very father of Achilles, whom sees her as his hero.

The woman that travelled with the Argonauts under leadership of Jason, finding friendship in the princess of Colchis, Medea.

The woman that worshipped the same goddess as the amazon queen Penthesilea.

The woman Crio loved for so long.

And with their foreheads pressed together, their rings adorning their fingers, once again seeing how long they were married.

“I apologize for not going with you.”, Atalanta apologized as they sat outside on the balcony, taking a a bite out of the toffee apple. Amused he watched her eyes lit up as the sweetness mixed with the fresh flesh of the fruit. Those are the small things he wished to see. “No need to. I know you prefer a quiet walk through the woods.”, Crio chuckled as he took a bite out of his own. Chewing and swallowing the bit, she asked: “Was anyone else there?”.

“Oh, many. Artoria was chased by her knights again and dragging Shirou along, Achilles and Penthesilea were on a date…”.

“Six months now?”.

“Yes, six months. Impressive, really. I do wonder when he wants to propose though.”.

“It is. Give him time. Did anything interesting happen?”.

“Actually, there were two people who stole the show today.”, Atalanta listened, watching how he pulled out his smartphone. Setting it down in front of her, he let her curious emerald gaze watch. “Oh! Ushiwaka and Souji were dancing?”. “Yes. Apparently a lost bet with Nobunaga caused Souji to be forced to do that. I don’t know about Ushiwaka though. I forgot to ask her.”, Crio admitted a bit ashamed, scratching his cheek.

Enjoying his apple, Crio glanced from the bright moon to his wife staring at the screen.

“Hmm…”.

“What is it?”.

“I’ll ask Medea to make a Kimono for me next time as well. Next time I’ll join you.”.

“As long as you don’t force yourself for me. If you don't like it, we can do something else.”.

With a small laugh she returned his phone, her eyelashes fluttering. “You always think about me first before yourself. You are hopeless, agapi mou.”. “That I am.”, came the answer with a smile. “Still, their dance was beautiful. Ushiwaka was gorgeous in these clothes.”.

“That she was. I should have asked who designed that.”.

In silence they gazed up at the moon, taking a bite out of the apple simultaneously.

With a half open eyes, they sighed.

“Medea…”, they spoke the name of the fashionista.

A world were the holy grail was no more and the Servants could live their lives in peace.

A world they could settle their regrets.

A world where they could laugh, love and enjoy themselves.

A world were even the huntress of Arcadia found someone that loved her unconditionally.

That is the world Crio and Atalanta lived in.

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, the very first story I posted on Deviantart after finally having gotten the courage to share this with the fandom. 
> 
> A gift to someone, I wanted to share my work here with others and make this a little gift to the fans. The inspiration for this outfit and the dancing in the middle of the plaza came from Vera, a good friend of mine from DeviantArt.
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/lonesomebookworm/art/heavenly-child-of-kurama-852326250
> 
> There will be little changes to the characters in my stories, sticking to their source material mostly aside from few exceptions: The Fate franchise and the legends we know them from. Some characters are done really well, while some were just...
> 
> ...out there...
> 
> I started with writing because creative writing had been one of my strong points during my school days, which lay back nearly 8 years now. The Fate franchise got me hooked with different realities, options that change future outcomes.
> 
> Zero is by far my favorite when it came to story telling and animation, while the Deen adaption that seems to be regarded like a spawn of satan, I found really enjoyable, partly because of the fantastical music. I love the greek Servants in particular: Medusa and Medea. So I continued to watch every new Fate, enjoying each one for something else and mostly liking the story.
> 
> But then came Apocrypha...
> 
> Ah...where to begin with that one. The confusing, unsatisfying romance between Jeanne and Sieg? Atalanta's lackluster reaction to killing a child, the very being she wished to protect and is fighting for? Karna's and Semiramis' backstory that went largely unexplored? Or pretty much only barely mentioning Penthesilea or Patrocolus when it comes to Achilles?
> 
> A lot of potential for an amazing show completely wasted, and I didn't like that :/ The red faction suffered hard, because in the eyes of the viewers, they were 'evil'. 
> 
> Out of all these 14 Servants, Atalanta closely stuck to me. 
> 
> Yes, she is cute. I like her design. But more importantly, her iron will to pursue her wish, no matter if others like it or not. And the problem she is trying to solve is a very real problem since the beginning of humanity.
> 
> Atalanta is really underappreciated and the only times someone makes art of her or writes is because people like Achilles and their older sister-younger brother symmetry. Apocrypha has not done her justice. Neither her nor Semiramis, Karna or Achilles. Her reaction after killing Jack was largely the cause that made her seem to many like a hypocrite and therefore, unlikeable. In FGO however, she is a lot more openminded. We as a master can speak to her without getting on her bad side immediately. She even jokes on valentines, offering you an apple to use in a race against her. 
> 
> Heck, she protects Achilles from Penthesilea and tries to tell her that him saying she is beautiful is not meant as an insult XD She is such an older sister!  
>    
> Considering the bro here, I wished him to finally be able to live with Penthesilea, the love of his life and Penthesilea to learn what he really loved about her, how he grieved when he realized he fell in love only to see her eyes fall shut, because I do not think that it is just Penthesilea's beauty he was attracted to, but the full package she came as: A warrior woman, strong, prideful. As a warrior himself, that is an ideal woman: Beautiful and the same time a force of nature. But do not forget, Achilles was, and sometimes still is, a brat. He died very young and was prone to outbursts without thinking, so that the word slipped out of his mind because Penthesilea is so stunning is believable.
> 
> Pretty much anyone who has the craft essence of her in the cocktail dress knows there is a reason he is still chasing her XD Too beautiful.
> 
> But the biggest reason for beginning to write these stories, and for beginning to rewrite Apocrypha with my own twists, was that I wanted to give Atalanta a reason to smile for once. To find someone that loved children as much as she did, but knew that there is no omnipotent wish granting device to solve that. It would take step by step, and that is when I created Crio.
> 
> More to him, I explained in my story 'curse of life'. Many things about his personality and their connection will be explained in Apocrypha: Reconnected.
> 
> I hope you liked my first story I put up :)


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